Old Soldiers Day Parade Marches Into Alpharetta; Road Closures Planned

ALPHARETTA, GA -- Residents are invited to honor and celebrate war veterans this weekend as part of the city of Alpharetta's Old Soldiers Day Parade and Road Race.

The event, hosted in conjunction with American Legion Post 201, will be held Saturday, Aug. 5. The celebration begins with an 8K road race, which departs Wills Park at 7 a.m. Festivities continue at 9:15 a.m. with music by the Alpharetta City Band, a memorial at 10 a.m. and the parade at 10:30 a.m.

The parade began years ago as a tribute to veterans of the Civil War, but was discontinued after a few years. In 1952, a small group of men in Alpharetta re-dedicated Old Soldiers Day Parade and started having a parade through downtown Alpharetta. Thanks to these few men and their belief in keeping this memorable tradition alive, the parade has become an annual celebration to all veterans of all wars.

“We’re excited to have the Old Soldiers Day Parade and Race as an annual tradition for veterans, festival goers and families,” said Janet Rodgers, president and CEO of the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This is a special event and we are honored to be part of the city’s recognition to all veterans and their sacrifices. We invite and welcome visitors and residents to enjoy the festivities throughout Alpharetta.”

Join the grandstand on Roswell Street where the parade begins or bring a lawn chair to watch the procession along Old Milton Parkway.

The procession will conclude at American Legion Post 201 at 201 Wills Road where free hot dogs and soft drinks will be available, along with a variety children’s activities. The annual parade will be held rain or shine. Free shuttles will pick up those parking at City Hall (2 Park Plaza) and drop off passengers at the site of the parade. This will run every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the city implementing some road closures. You can expect following closures to start around 6:45 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 5:

Old Milton Parkway - Closed from Highway 9 to Wills Road

Milton Avenue

• Closed from S.R. 9 to Milton Center (Independence High School)
• Closed from Wills Road to Milton Center
• Closed to through traffic once parade begins, from Wills Road to S.R. 9

Old Canton Street/Old Roswell Street - Closed from Milton Avenue to Roswell/Canton Street

Hopewell Road/Canton Street

• Southbound will be detoured left at Church Street to S.R. 9.
• Closed from Mayfield Road to Milton Avenue.

Roswell Street - From Old Milton Parkway to Milton Ave will be closed. Residents in this area and on Marietta Street will be detoured to Wills Drive using a portion of Old Milton Parkway. This will allow access to Milton Avenue.

Wills Road (for race only) - Open to south bound traffic only

Race-day registration for the race is $30, and begins at 6 a.m. in the parking lot behind the City Pool at Wills Park.

For more information about the parade, call 678-297-6000. If you need more information about the race, call 678-297-6173 or email sciaccio@alpharetta.ga.us.

Image via Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau